Some Things Never Change
by DNAisUnique
Summary: *Post-ep for 'The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond.'* “I know how to make your back hurt again, Booth."


**Post-ep for "The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond." **

**VVVVV**

"Did you get Zack back inside?"

"I left him with Sweets. Since it was Sweets' card, I thought it would be best for him to escort Zack inside." Booth chuckled softly. "He was scared Zack was going to overpower him."

"Sweets should be scared."

"It doesn't make sense, though. I'm much bigger than Zack and Sweets isn't scared of me."

Brennan sighed. "Sweets is scared of you physically, Booth, but he's not afraid of your mind."

"I feel like I should be insulted."

"I didn't mean it to be insulting. Sweets already feels inferior to Zack because of the situation with the magnetic strips on the cards. His feelings are hurt and he's on edge because someone in a mental facility was able to take advantage of and outsmart him." She frowned and shrugged. "I imagine that would be quite a blow to Sweets' psyche."

Booth laughed. "Admit it, Bones. You're starting to like psychology."

"No, definitely not."

"Deny it all you want, but you're channeling Sweets," he joked.

"Booth, I'm a physical scientist. I work with things I can see, touch, smell. I don't channel."

"Not even when you write?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your characters are multi-dimensional and have distinct personalities, which means that you have different ways of thinking when you write them. Right?"

"I have separate mindsets for the characters, but I wouldn't call it channeling."

"I could show you a few examples of where you might have been channeling if you'll just let me look at your book." He reached around her and picked up a few pages of her manuscript.

"No, Booth," she replied, reaching for the papers. "You know how I feel about people reading it before it's released."

He held the papers just out of her reach, but didn't try to read them. "But I saved it. Besides, you were going to throw it away."

"Past tense. I saw the error of my ways and changed my mind."

"With my help."

She rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Okay, you 'saved' my book, and I fixed your back; I think that means we're even."

"What?! My back thing was nothing. Saving your book was huge! I mean, think of all the people waiting for your next bestseller, Bones. People have learned to pre-order your books because the stores can't keep them on the shelves. You should've seen the two women fighting when your last book came out."

She tilted her head, taking in what he had just told her. "You speak from personal experience?"

"Why do you think I take random Tuesdays off? Well, they're not actually random—they coincide with the release dates of your books."

"Wait, so what you're telling me is that you order my books before they're in the stores, you've seen people fight over them, and you read them on the day they're released?"

"Yes, and I even specify that I will pick up my copy at the store because I don't want to wait on it being shipped."

She pressed her lips together trying to hide her smile. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or frightened, Booth."

His eyebrows raised in question. "Why would you be frightened?"

She pushed herself away from the edge of her desk and walked toward the couch. "Running out to buy a book the day it's released…it's a little fanatic, don't you think?"

"When does the next _Anthropology Today_ come out?"

"Next week, but I don't see how that's relevant to this discussion."

"Ah, but it is quite relevant, Bones. You know when the next journal will be out, and you can't wait to get your hands on it."

"What? I still don't see why that has anything to do with my books."

"You're a fan of facts, I'm a fan of you and your books. There's nothing wrong with that. What we like makes us who we are."

She grinned, remembering his words from earlier. "And we can't change who we are."

He returned her smile. "Right. You're the sexy scientist…"

"And you're the sexy FBI agent."

He moved to sit by her. "Who reads all your books."

"And memorizes the reviews."

He still held the pages from her manuscript. "So, because of my never-ending devotion, can I read your book now?"

"No."

"Not even one chapter?"

"No."

"A page?"

"No."

"I'll take you for ice cream."

"The ice cream bribe does not work for adults, Booth."

"Fine. A scene." He grinned and gently nudged her with his elbow. "I'll give you a nice review."

She caught him off guard, quickly grabbed the papers from his hand, and walked back to her desk. "I know how to make your back hurt again, Booth. And then I'd have to drive…"

"But it would so be worth it to have you touch me like that again," he muttered.

She whirled around to face him, wondering if she had heard him correctly. She smirked as he averted his eyes.

Booth cleared his throat. "So, I've got great seats for the Capitals tonight. You want to go?"

"Thanks for offering, Booth, but you know I don't like baseball."

Booth groaned. "It's hockey, Bones. The Capitals play hockey; the Nationals play baseball."

"That reminds me of an article I read where some bones were discovered under the ice. The season was over so they melted the ice…"

Booth chuckled and shook his head. "Some things never change, Bones. Some things never change."

**VVVVV**

**Thanks for reading! Obviously I don't own _Anthropology Today_. I just borrowed the title for the purpose of this story.**


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